Automatic lubricator for air starters



Jan. 13, 1970 1 D. BARGr-:R

AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR FOR AIR STARTERS Filed Jan. 5, 1968 /A/r/EA/To 64 ,Moya D. 54,9651? ZZ Z0 66 @Tram/96 United States Patent O AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR FOR AIR STARTERS Lloyd D. Barger, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Barger Manufacturing Company, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a

corporation of Minnesota Filed Jan. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 695,489 Int. Cl. F01m 1/00 U.S. Cl. 184-6 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic lubricator for air starters such as used in connection with vehicle diesel engines or the like. The lubricator is connected to the vehicle air compressor system and to a source of lubricant such as the fuel line of the engine. The lubricator is uidly connected to the air starter and is adapted to supply lubricant to the moving parts of hte starter each time the starter is activated. The lubricator includes a housing means having a piston means movable between irst and second positions therein. The piston is moved from its first position to its second position by the compressed air when the air starter is activated. When the piston means is in its irst position, the lubricant is allowed to enter the interior of the housing and into a reservoir area. When the air starter is de-activated, the piston is returned to its rst position which permits the lubricant to enter the interior of the air starter to lubricate the same and then to be exhausted therefrom. The piston means prevents communication between the source of lubricant and the air starter when the piston means is in its second position.

A conventional diesel engine is sometimes started with an air starter to avoid the use of a 200 pound storage battery which normally would be required to do the job. Diesel engines require high compression for starting and consequently must be revved to a relatively high speed for starting purposes. The use of an air starter also permits the diesel enginerto be started at 30 to 40 degrees below Zero which is usually not possible with conventional storage batteries. The conventional air starters have blades which oscillate and are mounted on an eccentric. The blades must be lubricated regularly to prevent malfunction, However, in practice, the blades are often not oiled regularly and the starter malfunctions due to the accumulation of road dirt and dust therein since the air starters are in a location which is constantly subjected to road dirt and dust.

The manufacturers of the air starters recommend that the air starter be dismantled each fall and to clean the parts in kerosene or the like. This procedure was suggested due to the fact that the mechanics would sometimes iill the air starter reservoir with any type of oil that was available. In cold weather, the oil becomes stiff with the result that the blades stick which causes loss of power. The manufacturers of the air starter recommend that the air starter be lubricated every 10,000 miles which involves removing the plug from the starter reservoir. Dirt and abrasive particles sometimes enter the interior of the starter reservoir when the plug is removed therefrom which causes grooves to become worn in the blades thereby causing a loss of power. Additionally, the air starters are sometimes used without any lubrication because the reservoirs therein are not suciently large enough to hold ample lubricant for 10,000 miles. If the size of the reservoir is increased, the air starter becomes too bulky to t in the small space provided therefor.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide an automatic lubricator for air starters for diesel engines or the like.

3,489,246 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 ice A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic lubricator for diesel engines which causes a small quantity of diesel fuel to be blown into the air starter each time the air starter is activated thereby causing the blades to be cleaned and to insure that they are lubricated regularly.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic lubricator for air starters which may be operatively connected to the vehicle air compressor system and the vehicle fuel line system.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic lubricator for air starters which eliminates the need for servicing the air starter at periodic intervals.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic lubricator for air starters used in connection with diesel engines or the like which is compact so as to be able to tit in a small space.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic lubricator for air starters or the like which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a schematic view of the lubricator, the air starter and the component parts of the lubricating system;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the lubricator illustrating the piston means therein in a first position; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 except that the piston means therein is shown to be in a second position.

The lubricator of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 9 which is specifically disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 3,254,803 invented by Lloyd D. Barger. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the numeral 10 generally designates a housing having end caps 12 and 14 threadably secured to opposite ends thereof. Housing 10 is provided with a passageway 16 extending into one end thereof and having an O-ring 18 mounted therein at one end thereof as seen in FIG. 2. A ball valve 20 is movably mounted in passageway 16 and is normally urged into seating engagement with the O-ring 18 by a spring 22. Spring 22 is maintained in position by a retainer 24 having a central bore 26 extending therethrough which is positioned at the inner end of end cap 12. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, end cap 12 is provided with a passageway 28 extending therethrough.

Passageway 16 communicates with a passageway 30 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 which in turn is in communication with a larger passageway 32. Housing 10 is provided with a threaded opening 34 having the stem portion 36 of a reservoir 38 threadably mounted therein. Stem portion 36 is provided with a bore 40 extending therethrough which permits communication between the interior of reservoir 38 and passageway 30. Housing 10 is also provided with a plug 42 which closes port 44. A port 46 extends downwardly from passageway 30 and is in communication with the interior of a pipe 48 which is threadably secured to housing 10.

A piston 50 is slidably mounted in housing l10 and has a piston portion 52 slidably mounted in passageway 30 and a piston portion 54 slidably mounted in passageway 32. An O-ring 56 is received in a groove formed in the periphery of piston portion 52 and sealably engages the wall surface formed by passageway 30. An O-ring 58 is received in a groove formed in the periphery of piston portion 54 and sealably engages the wall surface of passageway 32. A spring means 60 embraces piston 50 and engages a shoulder 62 formed in housing 10 at one end and a shoulder 64 formed in piston portion S4 to yieldably maintain the piston 50 in the position seen in FIG. 2. An actuating rod 66 is secured to piston 50 and extends therefrom through passageway 30 as best seen in FIG. 2. Actuating rod 66 has a length sufficient to unseat ball 20 when the piston 50 has been moved to the position of FIG. 3. A passageway 68 is formed in end member 14 and is in communication with passageway 32 as seen in FIG. 3. The numeral 70 generally designates the engine head of the diesel engine (not shown) which is connected to end member 12 by a conduit 72. Conduit 72 is in communication with the diesel fuel which is supplied to the head 70. It should be noted that the conduit 72 may be connected to the diesel fuel line at any convenient location on the downstream side of the fuel system. A one-way check valve 74 is connected to pipe y48 and is `adapted to permit the How of fluid from pipe 48 to conduit 76 which extends between valve 74 and the air starter which is generally designated by the reference numeral 78. Starter 78 is of conventional design and includes a plurality of movable fins 80 mounted therein. An air conduit 82 extends from the air starter 78 to a quick opening valve 84 which is connected to the compressed 'air tank 86 by a conduit 88. A conduit 90 connects tank 86 and a starter control valve 92 which is normally located in the truck cab. A conduit 94 extends from valve 92 to valve 84 seen in FIG. 1. A conduit 96 connects valve 84 and end member 14 of lubricator 9.

When the driver opens the starter control valve 92, air flows from the compressed air tank 86 through the line 90, through the valve 92, thence to valve 84 which causes the valve 84 to be opened. This permits compressed air to flow directly from the tank 86, through conduit 88, valve 84, conduit 82 and into the starter 80. At the same time, compressed air continues to go through the valve 84 through the conduit 96 and into passageway 68 in the housing 10. The air pressure against the end of piston por tion 54 causes the piston 50 to be moved from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3. When the piston 50 has been moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 3, actuating rod 66 unseats the ball valve 20 thereby permitting diesel fuel to bypass the ball valve 20 into the passageway 30 and into the interior of the reservoir 38 by bore 40. When the interior of reservoir 38 is in communication with bore 28, piston portion 52 has sealed passageway 30 from the port 46. Thus, while the air starter 78 is being used to start the diesel engine, diesel fuel is forced into the reservoir 38 and the passageway 30. The driver releases starter control valve 92 when the engine has started which causes the air pressure to be removed from the end of piston S thereby permitting spring means 60 to move the piston 50 back to the position of FIG. 2. The deactivation of starter control valve 92 also causes valve 84 to close thereby de-activating starter 78. When the piston 50 returns to the position seen in FIG. 2, the diesel fuel in the reservoir 38 and the passageway 30 is forced outwardly of the housing 10 through pipe 48 inasmuch as the diesel fuel has been slightly compressed therein and also due to the fact that a certain amount of air is compressed within reservoir 38 when the diesel fuel is forced thereinto. The diesel fuel passes through pipe `48, check valve 74 and into the interior of the starter 78 by means of conduit 76. The diesel fuel is forced into the interior of starter 78 onto the fins 80 which yare still rotating. The air and the diesel fuel is then blown through the air starter through a common exhaust port 98 which causes the fins in the starter 78 to be cleaned and lubricated each time the air starter 78 is used.

It can therefore be seen that the air starter is automatically cleaned and lubricated during each use of the air starter which results in a considerable savings in maintenance costs. The lubricator insures that the fins -within the air starter will be lubricated properly to insure that the air starter will work in extreme temperature conditions. The lubricator 9 is extremely compact and may be mounted on existing engines or vehicles without creating a space problem. Thus it can be seen that the device accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my automatic lubricator for air starters without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination,

an air starter means having an air activated rotating means therein,

a source of lubricant,

a source of compressed air operatively connected to said starter means adapted to rotate said rotating means,

an automatic lubricator operatively connected to said source of lubricant, said source of compressed air and said air starter means; said lubricator including piston means to open said lubricator to receive a quantity of lubricant for delivery to said air starter means when said piston means is subjected to air pressure from said source of compressed air, and to supply lubricant to said air starter means when said piston means is not subjected to air pressure from said source of compressed air.

2. The combination of claim I1 wherein said air starter means is operatively connected to a diesel engine on a vehicle, said source of lubricant being the diesel fuel system of the engine, said source of compressed air being the vehicle compressed air system.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said lubricator includes an elongated hollow housing having a first passageway and a connecting passageway formed therein, said piston means being a piston in said rst passageway movable between first and second positions, said cornpressed air moving said piston from its first position to its second position, sealing means on said piston, said housing having a first opening in communication with said lubricant a biased closed valve means in said first opening, an actuating means operatively connected to said piston, said housing having a second opening in communication with said first passageway and said air starter means, said sealing me-ans being between said second opening and said connecting passageway when said piston is in its first position, said sealing means being between said second opening and said first opening when said piston is in said second position, said actuating means operating to open said valve means when said air starter is activated, said piston being in its second position when said air starter is activated, the opening of said valve means permitting communication between said first opening and said first passageway thereby permitting the lubricant to accumulate therein, said lubricant in said rst passageway being released through said second opening to the interior of said air starter when said piston moves to its first position as said air starter isdeactivated.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said lubricator includes a housing having a cylinder area, said piston means being a piston slidable within the cylinder area of said housing, a conduit connecting said diesel fuel system and the inside of said cylinder area, a spring loaded valve imposed in said conduit and capable of being moved to an open position when said piston is in one position to its slidable movement, said conduit normally in a closed position preventing communication between said diesel fuel system and said cylinder area, said piston being actuated by said compressed air when said air starter is activated, said spring loaded valve being opened by an elongated member ou said piston.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said air starter means is operatively connected to a diesel engine on a vehicle, said source of compressed air being the vehicle compressed air system including an air tank, said source of lubricant being the diesel fuel system of the engine, a rst conduit connecting said air tank and a first air valve means, a second conduit connecting said first valve means and said air starter means, a third conduit operatively connecting said air tank and an air control valve means, a fourth conduit connecting said air control valve means and said first air valve means, a fifth conduit connecting said first air valve means and a first opening in said lubricator, a sixth conduit connecting said diesel fuel system and a second opening in said lubricator, and a seventh conduit connecting a third opening in said lubricator with said air starter means, said first air valve means and said air control valve means being normally closed, the opening of said control valve means causing said rst air valve means to be opened thereby activating said air starter means, the opening of said air control valve means also activating said lubricator, the closing of said air control valve means causing the closing of said rst air valve means and the deactivation of said air starter means, the closing of said air control valve means also deactivating said lubricator to cause the lubricant to be supplied to said air starter means through said seventh conduit.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said source of compressed air includes an air tank, a first conduit connecting said air tank and a first air valve means, a second conduit connecting said first valve means and said air starter means, a third conduit operatively connecting said air tank and an air control valve means, a fourth conduit connecting said air control valve means and said first air valve means, a fifth conduit connecting said first air valve means and said lubricator, a sixth conduit connecting said diesel fuel system and said first opening in said lubricator, and a seventh conduit connecting said second opening in said lubricator with said air starter means, said first air valve means and said air control valve means being normally closed, the opening of said air control valve means causing said first air valve means to be opened thereby activating said air starter means, the opening of said air control valve means also causing said piston to be moved to its second piston, the closing of said air control valve means causing the closing of said first air valve means and the deactivation of said air starter means, the closing of said air control valve means also causing said piston to move to its first piston to cause the lubricant to be supplied to said air starter means through said seventh conduit.

7. The combination of claim 3 wherein a reservoir is in communication with said rst passageway.

8. In combination,

an air starter means having an air activated rotating means therein,

a source of lubricant,

a source of compressed air operatively connected to said starter means adapted to rotate said rotating means,

an automatic air-actuated lubricator valve means interconnected between said source of lubricant and said source of compressed air and being connected through an outlet port to said air starter means,

said lubricator valve means including piston means to open said valve means to receive a quantity of lubricant, and to close said outlet port, when subjected to air -pressure from said source of compressed air;

said lubricator valve means including means to move said piston means to close said valve means with respect to said source of lubricant and to open said outlet port to supply lubricant within said lubricator valve means to said air starter means through said outlet port when said piston means is not subjected to air pressure from said source of compressed air.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,757,656 8/1956 Stegemann 184-6 XR 2,867,203 l/l959 Easton et al. 184-6 XR 3,052,317 9/1962 Leach 184-103 FOREIGN PATENTS 970,245 8/ 1958 Germany. 1.201,604 9/1965 Germany.

FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner 

